


Once more into the breach

by coffee_mage



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Darkfic, M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-14
Updated: 2012-05-14
Packaged: 2017-11-05 08:41:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/404459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffee_mage/pseuds/coffee_mage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint gets Coulson back.  But it isn't what he ever expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once more into the breach

Coulson’s dead (and Clint’s life is over, because it was his fault, always his fault, he never wins, ever) and then, a week later, he’s back from the dead. A month after that, Clint is staring down the clean line of his arrow, with Coulson telling him to wait, to hold off until the final confirmation is made. Scrub off the blood, get the soldiers on their feet and aim them at the enemy.

Two days after that, Clint finally climbs back into Coulson’s bed, desperate for arms around him and the steady heartbeat of another human. Eighty dead, a hundred, and how many of those Clint’s fault? So many hearts not beating. Call the code, get the bag zipped up and send it to the coroner.

Clint ignores the fact that Coulson doesn’t smell quite the same, pretends he believes it’s some lingering effect of Loki’s weapon or maybe even the mind control. Maybe it’s just that the man nearly died, has new scars. Maybe it’s that Clint will never get the stink of blood out of his nostrils. He’s not designed for killing close up. He was always meant to be farther away. Keep the distance, get the job done and collect up all traces.

One year passes, then two. The world is different now. Supervillains are popping up almost daily, it feels like. Alien invasions are part of the new normal. Clint can’t understand why it’s coming down now, but he remembers something said about the tesseract once, about it bringing down war upon Earth (and he isn’t sure how he remembers, but someone must have said it to him at some point) and he thinks this is all his fault. Listen to the handler, loose the arrow and watch the body fall.

Coulson is shot in the third year and Clint happens to be standing right next to him. He sees the sparks fly and his stomach clenches. Coulson tries to cover up the wiring, but it’s too late. The illusion is ruined and Clint can’t deny it any longer. Give them a reason, get the hawk in his nest and get him aiming.

Coulson’s been dead three years and got shot four hours ago when Clint uses his arrow to gouge out Fury’s eye. Coulson visits Clint every day in the brig, until Clint is finally retired. Give the gun to the girl, beg her for mercy and smile as you crumple to the ground and finally go home.


End file.
